Manchester City withdraw interest in signing Florian Wirtz | OneFootball

Manchester City are no longer interested in signing 22-year-old German attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer 04 Leverkusen, according to reports from various sources.

Management for the club, including Pep Guardiola, decided that the price of signing Wirtz from the 2023/24 Bundesliga champions is too expensive, at a total of approximately € 300 million, this including transfer fees and wages to pay the Leverkusen star.

Earlier today, Sky reported that Leverkusen are wanting at least €150 million from interested parties, and Florian Plettenberg posted that Bayern are preparing an offer that they are confident will meet Leverkusen's standards.

The chances of City signing Wirtz were quite low, as Fabrizio Romano reported last week that Wirtz would prefer Bayern over other options. This was factored into the decision, as multiple sources are reporting that the Sky Blues believe that Wirtz is going to move to Bayern this summer.

Liverpool FC are also in contention and have been interested in signing him since 2023, when German coach Jürgen Klopp was leading the team; at that time, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid were also evaluating sending offers to Leverkusen for the then-wonderkid.

City are now interested in a former Bundesliga player, this being FC Barcelona attacking midfielder/winger Dani Olmo. The 27-year-old Spaniard also had experience in the Bundesliga, scoring 17 goals for RB Leipzig in 107 appearances between 2020 and 2024.

Sky's Swiss department reports that a transfer for Olmo would be five times cheaper, priced at €60 million, and also state that the club has been in contact with Olmo's representatives and Barcelona about the move. Pep Guardiola's side believes that given the financial situation Barcelona is still facing, they might be fortunate enough to agree to terms on a deal.

Due to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the first Bundesliga transfer window of the summer will be open from 1 June until 10 June. This will be the moment when deals are concrete, and contracts can officially be signed.